By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
ASHWAUBENON – Ally Eden pitched a one-hitter, and Ashley Wolfe belted two home runs in Green Bay Preble’s 14-0 Fox River Classic Conference shutout victory May 14 over Ashwaubenon at Pioneer Park.
Eden struck out nine and allowed a line-drive hit – which she almost caught – off the bat of Nyia Marohl in the second inning for her only blemish.
It was the only base runner the Jaguars had.
“I stuck my glove out and almost caught it,” Eden said. “It’s 50-50, and I tried my best. I went into the game thinking Ashwaubenon would hit the ball because they’re usually a good-hitting team. Our hitting got going, and that took the pressure off.
Wolfe hit a first-inning blast on the second pitch of the game and homered again on a first-pitch fastball in the fifth.
“Both of the pitches (on my home runs) were low and right down the middle,” said the sophomore Wolfe, who was also intentionally walked and had a sacrifice fly to score another run in the seventh. “My job at the top of the lineup is to see the pitches and relay the information to my teammates. It prepares them, too. Our offense is amazing – once we get our timing down, we’re tough to stop.”
The Hornets, the No. 1-ranked Division 1 team in the state, led only 2-0 after four innings.
In the fourth, Eleanor Hoge, who had singled to start the inning, eventually scored on an infield error.
“When we don’t start well and are nervous, that’s been more common in previous years, not this year,” said Ron Metzler, Preble head coach. “As a coach, if we don’t get five runs in the first inning I’m nervous. This year, we’ve shown we’re a good hitting team.”
After Wolfe’s two-out homer in the fifth, Hoge had an RBI double to score Brooke Hock, who had singled.
Hoge scored on an infield error to make it 5-0.
Hock had an RBI double in the sixth, while Eden ripped a two-RBI double two batters later.
The Hornets led 8-0 after the sixth.
In scoring six more runs in the seventh, Melody Siudzinski had a two-RBI double, and Ava DeBaker and Wolfe also knocked in runs.
Eden legged out a triple in the inning, while Hock, Madi Whitney and Ariene Kollman each added singles for Preble, which sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning.